Annoying Buzz

yannick

I bought a Manouche Latcho Drom OR-130 Oval Hole a few months back from michael and it started having this terrible buzz which seems to be coming from one of the tuners. I tried to tighten them but it won't go away, any idea what I can do or does anyone know of a guitar tech in the San Francisco east bay area?

Thanks,

Yannick

Elliot

Tuners - you sure? Not the nut or the zero fret?

There usually isn't any vibration past the nut up there since the strings break over it.

andmer

Could possibly be humidity related. I know my gypsy guitars started behaving and playing a lot better after I got a proper humidity control in their cases.

I got this one, it's great.
http://www.amazon.com/Oasis-OH-6-Humidi ... 23&sr=1-11

consistent 40-60%humidity worked wonders.

yannick

I'm pretty sure it is from the tuner, it's almost a rattling sound from the G string tuner like if there was something loose inside it!?
thanks for the link, I definately have humidity issues especially now its getting into the 100s...

Jeff Moore

I like Elliot's guess as to the problem. It's certainly conceivable that its a tuner but check that there is at least some break angle from the string guide (the thing some think is a nut - usually plastic or wood and simply there to guide the strings over the 0 fret with the right spacing. If the bottom of the string guide slots are equal too or higher than the 0 fret, you will get Sitar sized buzzes.

I don't doubt your right about the tuner, its just that the problem of a string guide that has lifted or was manufactured wrong is easy to fix and easy to diagnose. You should be able to see a little angle on the string after it leaves the string guide and breaks over the 0 fret. If you don't this problem should be fixed first before more extensive and difficult remedies are attempted. If you don't see some angle between guide and 0 fret, file the guide carefully on its bottom and in such a way as to not widen the slots in it at all. If you file the sides of the string guide it'll change the position that the strings take on the 0 fret - not good.

Good Luck
Jeff

yannick

I will check for that later, after work...

Heretic

Yannick:

I'll just add my tuppence.
I once had a guitar with a very loose truss rod. It had loosened due to extreme dryness during the heating season. I have no idea what the climate is where you live, if it's arid, or air-conditioned.
Just on the off chance, ask yourself if it's possible that the truss rod is rattling when you produce the buzzing. If it is, either snug it up bit by bit, or humidify if that's the problem.
Best of luck.

jovation

I had the same issue recently.

After close inspection of my guitar, I found one of
those South African vuvuzelas had fallen inside the soundhole

yannick

On closer inspection it now seems to come from a loose truss rod. I turned clockwise barely a 1/4 or less and it is actually worse... how does one fix that?

Heretic

Yannick:

You should be careful about this, if you've not done it before. First address the issue of whether your guitar became dried out, or not. If it's a low humidity problem (consistently below 34%) then spend a week raising the case humidity with a Oasis sound hole humidifier. The noise might go away after a week of proper humidity.

If it is not a low humidity problem, you could attempt to tighten the truss rod by 1/4 turn a day until the buzz goes away if it's very loose. But, on no account do you want to over tighten it, as this puts unwanted pressure on your fretboard. If you have a trusted guitar repair man you might ask him to do it.

Or, go to Michael's store section of this site and get Jamie Boss's DVD on setting up a gypsy style guitar. The bits that I've seen seem very sensible.

yannick

thanks again for the response and the very helpful advice. I have setup my electric guitars many times before never the acoustic, I have ordered the dvd you mentionned and I will follow your advice in regards to humidity etc. So far i have not done anything more than barely twist not even 1/4 turn to see if it was loose or not. I'm a little concern about the whole thing as it not only made no difference but didn't even seem loose, yet, I can actually hear the rod rattling if i shake the neck slightly. I have never experienced this before with any guitar.

yannick